Kumbalanga (ash gourd) and parippu (lentil) cooked in a spiced coconut sauce is a Kerala style dal served with rice or chapati for lunch or dinner. This ash gourd dal recipe is so easy to make and loved by many of you.
Ash gourd is also known as winter melon. In Malayalam, we call it Kumbalanga and in Tamil, it is known as neer poosanikai. Parippu translates to lentils like yellow split pigeon peas also called Arhar dal, Toor dal or Tuvar dal. This curry can be prepared with split moong dal too but the flavour profile is totally different.
I got introduced to ash gourd while in Yanbu and had made a bong recipe with moong dal. As you know already, the UAE has given me a great opportunity to cook my home food. Winter Melon was available in abundance here so made this Kumbalanga Parippu Curry more than a few times. F also loved it with rice and chapati. You will be surprised to know that this vegetable is also used to make the popular dessert - Poosanikai Halwa!
When I had shared this dal recipe on Insta stories, some tried and mentioned that this is a keeper recipe! I can't agree more but maybe will come back again to update this with better pictures. 😊
Kumbalanga Parippu Curry is homely dal with chunks of ash gourd. You can make this dal in a few different ways. I have listed the optional ingredients that you can choose to try. Kumbalanga or the ash gourd can be replaced with other gourds like bottle gourd or green or raw papaya.
Kumbalanga Parippu Curry | Ash Gourd Dal
Ingredients
Pressure Cook
- ⅔ cup toor dal, washed and soaked for 10 minutes
- 1 small tomato (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 ½ cup water
- salt to taste
For the Coconut Paste
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 6 to 8 mini shallots, peeled and chopped roughly
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (you may use cumin seeds instead)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- water to help the grinding process
For the curry
- 300 grams ash gourd (aka winter melon or kumbalanga) measured after peeling and chopping
- 2 to 3 green chillies, slit
- a few curry leaves, torn
- enough water to cover the vegetable
- salt to taste
- all of the prepared coconut paste
For Tempering
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)
- 2 dried red chilli
- a few curry leaves
Instructions
Pressure cook or boil the lentils
- Add the soaked toor dal, garlic clove, turmeric powder, tomato if using, enough water and salt in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium flame or until the lentils are cooked to soft. You may pot cook the lentils until soft and mushy.
Prepare the coconut paste
- Add the grated coconut, garlic clove, mini shallots, fennel seeds or cumin seeds, red chilli powder and a little water into a small chutney maker and process to a fine paste.
Prepare the Kumbalanga parippu curry
- Open the pressure cooker (only after it is cooled and pressure released) and transfer the cooked lentils into a deep pot.
- Heat that deep pot on low to medium flame and add the chopped ash gourd, green chillies, curry leaves, enough water to cover the vegetable and salt to taste
- Cover with a lid and cook this on low to medium flame for 10 minutes or until the ash gourd pieces are all cooked through (they should start to look transparent)
- Open and add the prepared coconut paste and add more water as required and salt as per taste. Bring this to boil and then switch off.
Prepare the tempering
- Heat the coconut oil in a small tadka pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next, add the cumin seeds (optional) and let them sizzle.
- Tear and add the dried red chillies and curry leaves and fry until crisp. Switch off and stir this into the prepared curry.
- Serve hot Kumbalanga parippu curry with warm rice or ari dosha or chapati.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!